Senior Spotlight: Gonzaga’s Spirited Scientist Silje Squires

This piece is part of our Senior Stories series, in which we highlight GU students throughout the year.

Name: Silje Squires
Studies: Human physiology
Hometown: Thousand Oaks, California

Silje Squires was accustomed to a certain spirited standard.

"My high school had the best student section in the county," says Squires. "And I was one of the first female leaders of it."

And so it was almost in her blood to try out for Kennel Club leadership when she first came to Gonzaga as a freshman. Squires recalled that the first time she did Zombie Nation, the iconic dance in the student section before GU basketball games, she got chills.

She knew instantly she wanted to be involved with the club, and through four years of hard work and dedication, she's now the president of Kennel Club. And while she's leading the student section through cheers and campouts, she's also working on her senior project.

"We're testing the effects of different plant-based protein supplements on exercise, endurance and recovery and using EMG, isokinetic dynamometer and a split belt treadmill."

If this research process seems confusing, it's probably because it is -for all but a human physiology major.

When Squires isn't supporting Gonzaga's sports teams, or giving tours as a Gonzaga ambassador, or working on her minors in leadership studies and sports management, she's studying the inner workings of the human musculature system.

Squires described how soccer injuries as she was growing up led her to countless visits with a physical therapist. Despite uncomfortable stretching of her ankle and knee, she realized she was interested in the field. She began working for a clinic in high school, where she worked for three years, refining her passion for science and physical therapy.

For many, balancing Kennel Club leadership with human physiology would be overwhelming, but for Squires?

"I like being challenged," she says, "and I enjoy being busy. I work better on a tight schedule."

While she admits that things occasionally slip through the cracks, she feels a need to give back to the Gonzaga community.

"I want to be able to give back to Gonzaga how much it's given me," summarizes Squires.

Squires says her education has also connected her with experiences she would have never thought possible.

"I feel so lucky that I've been a part of human physiology while we have this partnership with UW. Being able to access their resources, like the cadaver lab, has been so fruitful in learning about anatomy."

Her Kennel Club involvement also impacted her education, causing her to add her sports management minor as she grew more passionate about athletics. Her position in the club also leveraged her to take an internship position with the Spokane Indians over the summer, further developing her love and expertise of athletics.

Looking ahead to the near future is easy for Squires. She has plans to bring back women's team Kennel campouts, finish her lab classes and leave behind traditions that others can build on.

However, looking farther ahead poses a challenge.

"I'm still trying to decide what I want to do next," she said. "Every day I think I have clarity, then it goes away."

Her surprising love of athletics has shifted her dreams away from solely becoming a physical therapist, but she's not exactly sure of her next steps.

Despite her lack of clarity, she knows one thing for certain.

"Our community is unbeatable and my four years at Gonzaga have made me the person I am today."